Human Pains
by AliceRU
Summary: Cole has to deal with everything that being human brings him.
1. Chapter 1 - Emotions

**Oh wow, I actually managed to write another one. Wow. Anyway. This idea was stuck in my head for a few days now so I finally decided to write it down. Hope you guys enjoy- well, as much as you can enjoy bawling like a baby.**

**Lavellan was striding through the abandoned battlements, humming merrily and thinking about happy things when she heard a noise.**

**She usually came here because it was always peaceful and quiet, so the noise made her suspicious and jumpy. She stopped and listened to it for a minute, trying to understand what it was and where it came from; the last question was answered first. She followed the sound until she was close enough to realize it was a sob. A very painful one at that.**

Slowly and as quiet as she could, she opened the door to the dusty room, trying to find the owner of those painful sobs. It was a hard task, considering that the room was crowded with broken and weathered furniture. But then she saw him; hidden behind a rotten end table, his knees clasped to his chest, his trembling hands gripping so tightly to his hair that his hat had fallen off.

Obviously, the image of Cole crying like that shocked her, and then filled her throat with tears. Sure, she had encouraged him to be more human, but she had never thought she'd see him like this. If he had noticed her, he didn't show; his light blue eyes still staring at the wall on the other side of the room. She came close to him and crouched, carefully touching him in the shoulder. He flinched and turned his head to her, his reddened eyes digging deep into her soul. She took a deep breath to keep herself from breaking down with him and firmly placed her hand in his shoulder.

**"****What's wrong, Cole?" He sobbed once more and hid his eyes behind his hands. She stroke his back to calm him down, but he still trembled a lot. After attempting to breathe deeply, he looked at her again, frowning in confusion.**

"I don't know, I don't know, I can't read my own pain but it hurts, hurts so much, like drowning but there's no water," He managed to explain to her. She sighed, deep in thoughts; it was the first time _he_ needed help and she wasn't sure how to do it. He sniffed, trying and failing to control his sobs, and lowered his head. "Can I place my head on your chest? I think I want to," he told her, and a sharp pain once again crossed her chest at the fact that _he thought he needed to ask_. She nodded energetically, fighting back her tears now proving to be a harder task than before. He quickly jumped into her arms and pressed his head to her chest, his pale hands clawing at her back as he cried. She held him, stroking his pale-blonde hair, and that's when she broke. His sobs and her sniffs drowned out any other noise.

**After a few minutes that felt like hours to both of them, he managed to stop crying and she dried her tears and then his, absently noticing how blonde and wet his eyelashes looked. He pulled back and stared at her frowning again, eyes still red.**

**"****Why did I hurt?" He asked, his voice now rough. She took another deep breath to steady herself and shrugged, her hand stroking his face.**

**"****I don't really know either, Cole." He lowered his head with worried eyes and she pursed her lips. "My best guess is that being human and feeling for yourself was overwhelming and it made you cry." He sniffed, scratching his eye.**

"Will it hurt like again?" She stared at him with sad eyes, guilt filling her as she thought this was all her fault. If she had done as Solas had told her and let him be a spirit, he wouldn't be hurting now.

**"****I don't know. I'm sorry, Cole." Obviously he had read her thoughts, because he shook his head furiously and placed his hands on her shoulders.**

**"****No. Don't be. It hurts, and it might hurt again, but I want this. I want to be human. I want to see the world as you do, as the real Cole did. And the pain… it can help me understand other people's hurts better. So don't feel guilty. You helped me, you made me stick. Thank you," he whispered to her. She broke down again and this time he held her, and she wondered just how much of an emotional mess she had to be to burst into tears like that twice in a day.**

**Cole affected her more than she had ever imagined, but as vulnerable as it made her, she would never stop loving him.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Hunger

**I wasn't going to write more, I really wasn't, but the idea got stuck in my head while I was thinking of what to write on my other fic, and I decided it fit better here, so there you guys, another chapter of feels trip. Once again I'm not sure if this is what Cole would really feel like but whatever.**

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><p>Dorian was attempting to read one more of the awful Fereldan books about Tevinter when Cole quietly sat before him, staring at the book in his hands. He put the book down and glared at him; he knew Cole well enough to know that if he had gone all the way from the tavern up to the library, it was because he was going to take him on another 'hurt' trip. The spirit-made-human boy supported his head on his hands, still staring at Dorian with curiosity.<br>"Cole, we've already talked about this, I-" He scolded when Cole interrupted him by placing his hand on Dorian's.  
>"No. That's not why I'm here." Dorian blinked, and then sighed.<br>"Alright then, why _are_ you here?" Cole scratched his cheek with one sleek finger before answering.  
>"Could you teach me how to read?" An awkward, surprised silence filed Dorian's little corner in the library. Cole read Dorian's thoughts and quickly answered his question before he even voiced it. "I was going to ask Varric, but he was busy writing and I didn't want to disturb him because he was really concentrated. I thought of asking Cassandra, but she's busy too. So I came to you."<br>"Well , I am busy reading a book." Cole frowned at him.  
>"Yes, why <em>were<em> you reading it? It makes you angry." Dorian sighed in frustration and threw the book away.  
>"True enough. Okay, let's do this."<br>After hours and hours of trying to get Cole to understand that he was supposed to read the book and not the writer's thoughts when he wrote it, Dorian managed to get him to read a whole chapter of a children's book, even with all his difficulties. He smiled and relaxed into his chair when he noticed Cole was looking down at something with an odd face.  
>"What's wrong, Cole? Someone thinking dirty things? Bull maybe?" Dorian laughed inwardly at the thought, but Cole shook his head- slower than usually. His frown deepened as he pressed a hand to his stomach.<br>"It… hurts…" Dorian crossed his arms before him, staring at him.  
>"Your stomach hurts? Is that it?" Cole nodded, and Dorian beamed- Everyone had been wondering and gambling on when the boy would begin to hunger, and the fact that he was the first to know it made him smile. Which of course made Cole give him a confused look.<br>"Why does my stomach hurting make you happy?" Dorian couldn't help but chuckle at his obliviousness.  
>"You're hungry, Cole. Haven't you ever read that feeling from other people's mind?" Suddenly, Cole's eyes went wide with horror, and he hugged himself, rocking back and forth. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" Dorian stood up abruptly, going to the boy's side.<br>"No, no, not this pain, not again, no, please-" Cole began having a panic attack, and Dorian placed his hands on his shoulders to try and calm him down.  
>"Cole, talk to me, what's wrong?" But there was no answer; his eyes were unfocused, and he seemed to have trouble breathing. "Oh shit, Cole!" He screamed, tapping at the boy's back. The ruckus brought every other person in the library-Plus Solas, who heard him from downstairs- to his aid. Solas quickly took charge of the situation, pushing Cole's chair away from the table and crouching, his hand slapping his face softly. His head turned to Dorian, who noticed that even though he looked calm, his eyes were accusing.<br>"What happened here?" He asked him. Dorian waved his hands in the air energetically, scared as he was.  
>"I don't know, he- he was fine, until he started feeling his stomach hurt, so I told him he was hungry and he just- he just did that!" He could almost hear the elf thinking. Solas took a deep breath and turned to Cole again.<br>"Cole, listen to me. You're hungry. That's all. You're not going to die. You just need to eat something." They watched as the boy took a sharp breath before finally focusing his eyes on Solas.  
>"But- But the real Cole, he died like this, I'm going to die, I'm…" Solas placed both his hands on his face.<br>"No, you're not. You're fine, Cole." He looked over to Dorian, this time no accusation in his eyes, only worry. "Bring him some food, please." Dorian nodded, jolting to get something-anything- for the boy to eat from the kitchen. In his hurry, he took the first thing he saw- an apple. He held onto it like his life depended on it and ran back to Solas.  
>"There," he managed to say between breaths as he delivered the fruit to him. Solas nodded a thanks and held it in front of Cole.<br>"Take a bite, see if you can eat it." Cole gulped and took the apple in his shaking hands, staring at it with apprehension. He carefully nibbled at it, and everyone around him sighed with relief when he swallowed it. Solas stood up smiling. "Well, it seems the crisis was evicted." Dorian stared at him wide-eyed as he went back down, then turned his eyes to Cole, the fear still in his face.  
>"Don't. You. <em>EVER<em>. Scare me like that again, do you understand?" He scolded. Cole nodded innocently between bites, as if nothing had happened.

After that, each time the boy went to visit him for more lessons, Dorian made sure to have some food around.


	3. Chapter 3 - Sleeping

**Not intended as romantic, but I guess you can see it the way you want.**

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><p>Lavellan sighed, dropping another boring report on Hinterland minerals on her desk. Day had already turned to night, and yet she was still at her desk looking through all the reports her advisors had left her instead of in bed. She could feel her headache worsening as she stared into another one, reading each sentence twice or more until it finally forced itself into her brain. She was already thinking of calling it a day and throwing herself in bed when she heard the door to her room being blasted open as a gush of wind went through. She quickly grabbed the dagger she used hidden in her thigh and ignored the nausea her headache gave her as she threw it in the direction of her attacker. She heard the dagger hitting the wall, however, the attacker gasping loudly in surprise. When she recognized the voice, she turned around and all but cradled the boy in her arms, making sure he was okay. Although he hadn't been hurt, Cole seemed perturbed. He paced around her room, fidgeting energetically as he went. She watched him with her hands on her hips.<p>

"What is bothering you enough to come charging into my room like that, Cole?" He glanced at her but kept pacing nervously. She growled under her breath and tried again. "Cole? Calm down and explain yourself, please?" The boy sighed in defeat and sat on her bed. With a nervous glance at it, however, he quickly stood up and went to sit at her desk instead.

"I… I…" He staggered, his eyes blinking and shifting around. "I need to sleep. But I don't want to. Not at all. I'm scared." Lavellan frowned, crossing her arms.

"Scared of what?" He pushed his hat deeper into his head, hiding his eyes completely.

"Scared… that if I sleep, I'll die- Or go back to the Fade. I'm not sure which is worse." He raised his head and stared at her with fearful eyes that melted her heart. "What if I can't come back?" She sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Have you talked to Solas about this?" He nodded.

"Yes, and he told me it won't happen. But I'm not sure. I'm scared." Lavellan pinched her nose, her headache reaching its worst.

"If Solas says nothing will happen, then I think you should trust him, Cole. You know he wouldn't lie to you." Cole lowered his head.

"I know…" he muttered, and she almost didn't hear him. "But I can't stop being scared…" She stood up, deciding it was time for a different approach. She closed in on him and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stand up and sit on her bed. He seemed uncomfortable, but she ignored him. She dragged the desk chair closer to him and sat, taking off his boots and propping his legs against her mattress. He squirmed, but she shook her head.

"Now now, Cole. You are getting more and more human everyday, and if you don't have a proper night of sleep, you won't be able to help anyone tomorrow, tired as you'll be!" He eyed her with uncertainty, but she knew he'd fallen into her trap. "Now, lay your head on the pillow. Come on, do it." He shifted around a bit more and stiffly laid his head, his hat forcing him into a weird position. Lavellan couldn't help but chuckle, and reached to take it off, placing it carefully on her nightstand. That only made him all the more anxious. Cole opened his mouth to protest but she gave him a daring glare that quiet him down. She pushed the covers over him and took his hand in hers.

"Close your eyes." She demanded, with a motherly air she didn't know she had-Maybe Vivienne's fault. "I said close them, Cole. Yes, very good." With everything set, she cleared her throat, and begin to hum one of the songs her mother would sing to her when she was small.

"Carefull, soft, she holds your hand and strokes it, leave after leave getting carried away. 'Mamae, sing to me', and she does, a content smile on her lips. Slowly, easily, you let the wind take you and close your eyes." He muttered. She was about to interrupt her singing to scold him when she decided better. '_Cole, stop reading my mind and go to sleep,'_ she thought. The boy squirmed enough for her to know he'd got the message. She let happy and relaxing memories fill her head as she stroked his hand, much like her mother did when she had a nightmare. She feels Cole relax into her touch, so focused on her song and her memories she didn't even notice her headache getting better. She eased into the chair, feeling sleepy herself, but still holding Cole's hand firmly enough to know that he was still awake. She kept singing for a bit longer, until she noticed his grip on her lightened, and allowed herself to smile. She watched him for a few moments longer before she let sleep take her.

She was awaken in the middle of the night by her body protesting from the awkward position she had slept in, and took a glance at the bed. Imagining Cole had already left, she was surprised to see him still there, his breathing loud and his hands grasping the pillow. She stood up and stretched, wondering what he was dreaming about. Still very much tired, she changed into more comfortable clothes and lay down beside him, careful not to wake him. She smiled at his snore and concentrated on it as she fell asleep again.

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><p>Josephine went to wake her up the next morning, intending to take whatever reports the Inquisitor had already read, but gasped as soon as she saw the pair sleeping; Cole with his arms around her, his head on her chest, and her left hand on his back and the other lying around her head. She whispered and apology and tiptoed her way out of the room, careful not to wake them.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 - Bathing

**Sorry for taking so long to write more, school has just started and I've been reading Asunder so I didn't have much time to write. Here's a new chapter. It might suck, or it might be cool. Idk.**

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><p>The Main Hall was packed with nobles that evening, coming from all over Orlais to meet the Inquisitor after the Winter Palace. So of course, that was also where Vivienne was. With Lavellan gone for the Fallow Mires and Josephine busy making deals with the nobles, the Madame had tasked herself with greeting the ones merely curious about the famous 'Herald of Andraste'; after all, who could possibly do a better job at it than her? So, when she arrived, Vivienne easily spotted her- or better smelled her, for the scent of mud and undead was not one that kept to itsef. She gave the nobles a quick introduction to her before shooing them away, before they could dwell on her current appearance.<p>

"Myra, darling, I don't mean to be rude, but you really do need a bath." She told the Inquisitor when all the nobles were dealt with. Lavellan sighed, scratching her head just to find mud in her fingers.

"Yep, I suppose you're right. I have a lot of washing to do," Vivienne nodded grimly at her, successfully pretending the smell didn't bother her as much as it did. Once Lavellan was gone, Dorian and Bull followed suit, going straight to their rooms. However, Vivienne noticed the smell hadn't yet left, and noticed Cole still standing there, peeling off mud from his hat and letting it fall on the floor. She scowled, snatching the hat from his head before he could protest.

"For the Maker's sake, boy, just because you are a demon doesn't mean you must look and smell like one!" She scolded, and he frowned.

"I'm not a demon, Vivienne, I'm human now. Not that I was a demon before," he added quickly. She rolled her eyes.

"Demon or not, you really need a bath." She surveyed him, noticing every imperfection. "And new clothes. Perhap a haircut. Thank the maker Lavellan didn't take you the Winter Palace, you would've embarrassed us all." Cole looked a bit hurt, but she ignored it with a sigh. "Well, I suppose once again I'll have to take matters into my own hands. Come, boy." She told him, tapping her leg as if he was merely a wet puppy. She led him to her bedroom, tasking the servants she saw with bringing him clothes, buckets of water and other things while they went. Cole seemed a bit nervous- either because he was in her room or because he was going to take a bath, she didn't know- and paced around the room, refusing to sit. Soon after, the servants began to arrive, each eyeing the Madame with fear as they set everything down on her room. She kept two of them with her and dismisse the rest.

"Now Cole, this lady is going to prepare the water for you, and when she'd done, you're going to take off those rags you have for clothes and step into the tub, do you understand?" He nodded, but the fearful look in his eyes told her he was still nervous. He watched quietly as the servant filled the copper tub with hot water, steam filling the room. When she was done, he carefully approached the tub, fidgeting nervously. Vivienne tapped her foot with frustration.

"Come now, Cole, we all have more important matters to attend to." Cole gave her a panicked stare before beginning to take off his clothes, and everyone else turned away to give him privacy. When she heard the small splash of him entering the tub, Vivienne motioned for one of the servants to go help him wash, ignoring his cry of surprise and embarrassment as she went. When the washing was done, she told him to sit and he did, and she wasn't surprised to see him eyeing her with betrayal as she turned. One snap of her fingers and the other servant began to comb his pale blonde hair away from his face and cutting it to a more decent height. She sat on her bed and watched his face with amusement, noticing how fearful and embarrassed he was. He attempted to keep his whole body under the water, and she had to shout at him to at least let his head out to allow the servant to work.

"Have you never taken a bath before, boy?" She asked him while he picked at the strands of hair that fell on the water before him. He turned to face her.

"Yes, in the pool in the White Spire, but no one washed me or cut my hair, I just swam." Vivienne let out a huff of disapproval.

"Well I want you to know that from now on you'll be doing this every day. You're friends with an important person, Cole, and we can't have you walking around looking like a scarecrow. What will everyone else think of the Inquisitor?" He frowned and lowered his head in defeat.

"Do I have to get washed every day?" He mumbled under his breath, but Vivienne had sharp ears an heard him.

"You can do it yourself if you want, but you better wash everything well, or I'll charge someone with doing it for you." He nodded so energetically that the servant cutting his hair had to take a step back to keep himself from getting wet. "Quiet, boy, less he cut your whole head off." Cole stiffened as she said this and didn't move again until the servant said he was finished, sighing with relief when he did. Vivienne turned around again as the other servant went to help him dry.

"Just so you know, you're getting new clothes. Those rags are well over their time. I might have to burn them, as a matter of fact." Cole gasped.

"But I like my clothes!"

"You should have thought of that before you let them get so dirty, dear. There's no salvation for them." There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"Can I keep my hat?" He asked gingerly, and Vivienne nodded with a sigh.

"For now, but the next time we go to Val Rouyeax, I'm buying you a new one. That thing is awful." She dismissed the servants as he got dressed, and turned around to see the result when he was done. She nodded with pride and approval. "Much better. Almost look like an actual young man, now. As I said I'm letting you keep the hat, but not before it gets a wash, or he'll ruin all my work." Cole gave her a puppy look but nodded, knowing there was no arguing with Madame de Fer. He turned to face himself in the mirror, inspecting everything with curiosity.

"This is better?"

"Obviously. I told you, you looked like a scarecrow dressed like that. Now you're worthy of the Inquisitor. You should go show yourself to her, by the way. Can't have my effort go unnoticed, special when the result is so good." He turned to face her with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Vivienne." She chuckled.

"Don't thank me, boy, I only did what was necessary. Really necessary." He tilted his head to the side, still smiling.

"Not just for helping me. For accepting me too. You didn't call me a demon the whole time, and you were nice to me. Thank you." She was taken aback by his words, but quickly recomposed herself.

"Go, boy. You're starting to get on my nerves again." With that, he left.

Next week, when the Inquisitor went to Val Royeaux to help Josephine, Vivienne made sure to buy him a pretty feathered hat that highlighted his eyes.

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><p><strong>Now I really need a drawing of Cole in nicer clothes e.e<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 - Cold

***sighs*****well, it's been a long time, sorry. I got caught up with other ideas and fanfics and ended up taking longer to write this chapter, I hope that's okay. This chapter was written thank to the helpful advices from RisingSm0ke. Thanks!**

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><p>Winter had arrived in Skyhold, and it covered the entire fortress in a thick layer of snow. It already wasn't the warmest place on Thedas, and now it was even farther from it. Which was really ironic, since it came just after Cole became more human, which meant the weather was starting to take its toll on him.<p>

Now that he had begun to sleep, the Inquisitor that provided him with a room, not very far from her own; nothing too fancy, but it was cozy and nice and he liked it. That day, however, he woke up with his whole body sore and cold, and the blanket he had been given were not doing enough of a job at keeping him warm. With a laziness typical to the weather, he slowly crawled out of bed, hugging his blanket tightly around him, and let out a cry as his feet touched the cold floor. He quickly left the room, decided to go on a quest for warmth.

First, he went to the Inquisitor; she had told him to come to her whenever his humanity gave him any troubles or questions, and he knew it was because she felt guilty. He also knew she liked when he came to her anyway, so he did. He knocked on her door shyly and waited; it was late enough for her to already be awake, but still there. He heard her footsteps as she walked up to the door and opened it. She blinked a few times, surprised at seeing him there, with his blanket around him, but quickly gave way for him to enter the room.

"What is it, Cole? Is something wrong?" She sat on her bed and motioned for him to join her, which he did. He fidgeted with his hands under the blanket, but kept looking at her straight in the eyes- Josephine had told him it was rude to talk to someone without looking at them.

"No, there's nothing wrong," he noted, quite shy. "I'm just cold." Her eyes grew wide at this and she facepalmed herself.

"Of course you're cold, poor thing, let me see if I can help you out." She rambled, standing up and going through her clothes. "These are all probably too short for you… oh, how about this?" She turned around and showed him the gloves she held. "It's wool. Very warm." He nodded and stood up, taking the gloves. After a few seconds of quiet study, he put them on; he was still cold, but it helped.

"Thank you, it helps." He told her with a smile. She smiled back.

"Sorry I couldn 't help more. Maybe you should go to Solas, or Varric. Maybe Dorian. They could have something better for you." He nodded and went to the door, whispering a 'thank you' as he did.

Still with his blanket around him, he went to Solas' rotunda, where he knew the elf would already be at this hour. He was completely oblivious of the looks the people in the Main Hall gave him as he went, in his nightgown and blanket. He didn't bother to knock there, because Solas would always tell him it wasn't needed.

He came in and saw him painting, as he always were this time of the day. He seemed pretty focused on it, so Cole made sure to let him hear his footsteps so that it wouldn't scare him. Solas turned with a curious frown, that quickly turned into a smile when he saw who was there, and then back into a frown as he saw his clothes.

"Well, Cole, what brings you here in such a hurry?" Cole tapped his foot against the other and stared at Solas' work.

"I'm cold. Lavellan said you could help me get warm." With an 'oh' of understanding, Solas led him to his chambers, where he looked around for something the boy could wear.

"Well, pants can help keep you warm and keep everyone from glaring at you. Here," The elf noted, handing him dark-blue pants of a thick and warm material. Cole dressed them over the nightgown, so that it could pass off that he was properly dressed. He then covered himself with his blanket again. "Is that better?" He asked with a smile. Cole nodded.

"Yes, thank you." Solas nodded and Cole left, not sure where he was going now. He went back to the Main Hall where he was spotted by the dwarf who had just entered the room.

"Hey kid," Varric called, motioning for him to join him at his usual spot by the fireplace. "Why are you walking around like that? Are you cold?" Cole nodded, scooting closer to the fire. Varric patted his back with a chuckle. He took off the woolen hat he was wearing and placed it on Cole's head. "Here, take this. I'm not that cold anyway, and your hat won't keep you warm at the state it's in." Cole frowned at this, but thanked Varric, knowing he was just concerned. The dwarf patted his back again and reached for his papers. Just as Cole was leaving, Varric called him again. "Kid, can you give this to Dorian and Cassandra? He's interested in reading Hard in Hightown, thought I might give him an autographed copy. And for Cassandra there's the new chapter of Swords & Shields. Can't believe I'm still writing that thing. Anyway, can you do that for me?" Cole smiled and nodded, taking the books into his hands. Not only would he be helping Varric, but it would also make Cassandra and Dorian happy.

He ran off to the rotunda again, holding both books in the crook of his arms as he struggled to keep his blanket in place. He ran up the stairs and into the library, where he waited for Dorian. After a few minutes, the mage came in; it would've been hard for Cole to recognize him though, if it wasn't for his trademark moustache, because of all the layers of clothing he was wearing. He looked positively frustrated. When he spotted Cole, however, he calmed down a bit.

"Not a fan of the cold either, huh? You need warmer clothes, Cole. Remind me of buying you something next time we go to town." Cole frowned and pulled off his hat, staring at it before holding it out for Dorian.

"Here, take this. Varric gave it to me, but you can have it. And this too," he said, pulling off his blanket. Dorian stopped him before he pulled off everything he had been given.

"It's alright Cole, I'm fine, and anyway as I said you need warmer clothes. I already have a pack of them. Keep those." Cole still gave him a hesitant look, however, and he sighed. "Really, I'm okay. I'm just overreacting because I don't like cold weather. You're gonna freeze if you give all that to me." Cole cocked his head to the side, but nodded, putting everything back on. He noticed, with a quick, harmless look into Dorian's mind, that if he had given his warm clothings to him, the Tevinter would only feel worse. Remembering what he had been tasked with, he reached for the book he had left on the table.

"Varric asked me to give this to you," he explained. "It's his book. He autographed it for you." Dorian beamed at this, picking the book up with delight.

"Why, isn't that nice of him!" The mage studied the book with interest before eyeing the boy again, who now smiled at him, melting his heart. He quickly pulled off one of the many colorful scarves he was wearing and tied it around Cole's neck. "Take this, Cole. As payment for bringing me the book." Cole began to protest but Dorian cut him off. "No, no, I want you to have it. You're in a worst case than I am. Now shoo, I want to start reading this." Other people might have thought it rude for the mage to shove him off like that, but Cole knew it was because he didn't want to give him a chance to argue. Smiling again, he thanked Dorian and rushed out again, now to find the Seeker.

With all the snow and the cold, Cassandra was not outside training as she usually was, but on the upper floor of the blacksmith's, where she had made her little nest. She was reading a very _warm_ romantic novel, all cuddled up in her own blankets when Cole came in. She threw the book aside when she saw him come in, blushing heavily. She tried to hide her embarrassment, but Cole didn't really think much of it; if it made her happy, why would he?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," he said as Vivienne had taught him when he interrupted her business conversation once. Cassandra cleared her throat and dusted off her blanket, as if there was anything there. Cole slowly placed the book before her and watched her gasp.

"It's already done?! Oh Maker, I must read it!" She exclaimed, snatching the book. She had just opened it when she realized Cole's teeth were chattering quite noisily. She turned to him and saw he was trembling, his lips a shade of purple, and he was barefoot. She gasped again. "Oh my, Cole, did you go outside like that? You must be freezing!" He pulled Varric's hat further into his head, not sure of what to say. Cassandra quickly threw her blanket aside and rushed to find something warm for him. She scavenged through her clothings for a while before finally finding something suitable; a pair of cozy but tasteless grey socks, with the Eye of the Chantry on them. She eyed them hesitantly before holding them out for him.

"Well, it isn't the best piece of clothing I have, but surely it will keep you warm. You should try to find some shoes, though. I know the Inquisitor sent all your clothing to wash, but just the socks will not keep your feet from freezing. You should find someone who's shoe size is close to yours, Cole." He nodded, thanking her for the socks and the advice. He sat with her for a minute to he put them on while Cassandra told him about the book she had been reading. When he asked if she'd read it for him she blushed and said it was 'too mature'. After that, he left, but still managed to get a glimpse at the Seeker's excitement as she started reading Varric's book, and he smiled.

Just as he stepped outside, Cole saw Blackwall calling him, not too far from his usual spot at the barn. Cole once again covered himself in his blanket before going to meet the Warden. When he arrived, Blackwall motioned for him to join him at the barn. With the current weather, he had lit up a fire just far enough from the hay so as not to burn it.

"I finished making those toys you asked me yesterday, you can take them if you want. Are you sure you're warm, Cole? You look a bit purple," he told him, a look of concern in his eyes. Cole nodded.

"I'm okay. Everyone's giving me warm things, so I should be alright," he explained. Blackwall nodded slowly, but still frowned. That's when he noticed Cole wore nothing but socks on his feet.

"Shite, Cole, you need to cover your feet better. Your toes will fall off like that," he warned, but quickly regretted doing it when he saw the fearful look on Cole's face.

"But my feet will get mad at me if my toes fall off," he said, making the Warden sigh.

"My feet are a bit larger than yours, but maybe I can lend you something just to warm those buggers up." With that, he went upstairs, coming back a bit later with a pair of bulky leather boots. He took the chance to retrieve the wooden toys he had made and held all of it for Cole. "There ya go. Put them on and see if they're too uncomfortable for you." Cole obliged, sitting on one of the bales of hay and putting the large boots on. Indeed, they were a bit too big for the boy, but not big enough to trouble him. He stood up and took the toys from Blackwall, thanking him as he did. The Warden waved at him as he left, and he waved back.

Now warm enough, it was with a content smile that Cole went to find the children that needed toys. He found all of them in the garden, several clinging to Bull's strong arms, laughing and playing. Two of them were stood at his shoulders, holding onto his horns and pretending they were steering him. The image made Cole smile; he had always liked children. So happy, so agitated, and so much easier to help. He pulled his blanket off and placed the toys on it, coming closer to the children. One by one, they noticed him and ran to marvel at the tiny wooden animals and mobilia that the Warden had made for them. Even the Iron Bull approached him to look at them.

"Wow, beardie's getting really good at this, isn't he?" He told him as he eyed a tiny horse. Cole nodded with a smile. Bull patted his back and he almost dropped his makeshift sack. "It's really nice of you to do this for the kids, Cole." Cole shrugged, as he had seen Sera do many times.

"Blackwall made them, I'm just delivering." The Qunari chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah right, as if you weren't the one to ask him to do it in the first place. Give yourself some credit, kid." When all the toys were taken and the children gathered around to play, Cole shivered and threw the blanket around him once again, catching Bull's eye.

"You cold? What happened to your clothes?" Cole played with one of the ears of his hat, looking down at the snow gathered at his feet.

"Lavellan said they were dirty and were close to shreds, so she sent them to be washed. Everyone gave me these to keep me warm," he said, pointing at his new articles of clothing. Bull crossed his arms and looked over each one of them with interest.

"Let me guess," he said with a smile, holding the tip of the scarf. "This is from Dorian." Cole nodded. "This must be Lavellan's," he pointed at the gloves, and Cole nodded again. "This is probably Solas's and this is from Varric," he pointed at the hat and the boots respectively, and Cole shook his head.

"No, the Iron Bull, The hat is Varric's. Solas gave me his pants, and Blackwall lent me his boots." Bull grunted in understanding. "Cassandra gave me socks too, but you can't see them." The Qunari snorted.

"Well, if it's Cole Giveaway Day, maybe I should get you something too. Can't go around with that blanket around you anyway. Looks pretty stupid. Come on." Cole frowned but joined Bull as he went to his room. It was one of the most messy ones, clothes thrown all around, and the Qunari picked a coat from a large pile, throwing it at Cole's direction. He quickly took it, holding it out in front of him. It was several times bigger than him.

"But isn't it too big?" He asked, purely curious. Bull shrugged.

"Suppose so, but if it's to keep you cozy I think it doesn't matter. Might even be better."

Cole nodded and put it on, not caring that his hands and neck were lost to the dark leather fabric. He smiled, finally reaching the perfect level of warmth. He went back to the courtyard just in time to join the snowball fight between the children, barely noticing as his 'donators' sat close by and watched him with fondness.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh. Can you imagine Cole dressed up like that? God, the cuteness! If anyone feels like drawing it, I'd be very very much happy!<strong>


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